December 2001
BackTalk
- Alvin Youngblood Hart
In 1996, Alvin Youngblood’s Hart’s Big Mama’s Door gave him the uncomfortable title of acoustic blues savior. Two albums and five…
Bayou Boogie
- Bidding on Clifton
The first thing I did was email friends who would be just as disturbed as me. Reese Fuller of The Times…
Cover Story
- Irene Sage: Devil or Angel?
“Stop!” she laughed, flopping down on the bench in Vic’s Kangaroo Café. “I get to interview you next!” Irene Sage found…
Dis 'n' Dat
- I'm Your Puppet
Miss Pussycat, also known as Panacea Theriot, is the wife of Drum Buddy inventor Quintron and, on maracas, his frequent accompanist.…
Features
- Masters of Louisiana Music: Chris Kenner
This installment of “Masters of Louisiana Music” investigates the career of the great Chris Kenner. Although he ranks not far behind… - New Orleans Christmas Recipes
When Santa comes calling, good boys and girls know that the Jolly Fat Man needs sustenance and plenty of it. We… - The Best Live Shows of 2001
OffBeat’s contributing writes and columnists, like most music fans, are not shy about expressing their musical opinions. Their quandary was being… - Matt Lemmler: It's A Wonderful World
For an album to create a significant buzz is a real achievement in today’s glutted CD marketplace. Each year there are…
Feed Me Something, Mister
- Blue-Collar Steaks
Upscale steakhouses continue to pop up around New Orleans, with three opening for business in just the last year alone. All…
Kickin' It Live
- 2001: Spicy Odyssey
As a music odyssey, the year 2001 in New Orleans celebrated the legacy of Louis Armstrong, mourned and joyfully remembered Ernie…
Know What It Means
- Hot Time in Cow Town
Any band that references the death of legendary guitarist Eddie Lang by ill-fated tonsillectomy, they just generally get my vote. When…
Letters
- Letters December 2001
TORKANOWSKY RULES! Finally, an article about one of my favorite musicians anywhere, David Torkanowsky. For more than 20 years, I’ve enjoyed…
Mojo Mouth
- The Times They Are A-Changin' We Hope
Well, it’s official. Our two-term mayor, Marc Morial failed to persuade the public to extend his chances for a third term,…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Julius Farmer
(1949-2001) Julius Farmer, a consummate bassist with an international reputation, passed away on November 1, 2001 at the age of…
St. Rock
Reviews
- Shelby Lynne, Love, Shelby (Island Records)
Sex. That’s the first thing you think of when you see the cover of Shelby Lynne’s new album Love, Shelby. The… - Cool Coyote, Y2Kajuns (Cool Coyote Records)
Inevitably, just having “Kajuns” plugged in the title will give the impression that there’s a new bunch of Chanky Chankers coming… - Money Mark, Change Is Coming (Emperor Norton)
Telefon Tel Aviv Fahrenheit Far Enough (Hefty Records) Money Mark Change is Coming (Emperor Norton) Perhaps because New Orleans has fought… - Telefon Tel Aviv, Fahrenheit Far Enough (Hefty Records)
Telefon Tel Aviv Fahrenheit Far Enough (Hefty Records) Money Mark Change is Coming (Emperor Norton) Perhaps because New Orleans has fought… - James Mathus and His Knockdown Society, National Antiseptic (Mammoth Records)
“I say you take about six parts blues and one part county, stir it all up, give it to a poor… - Habib Koite and Bamada, Baro (Putumayo)
Though the African country of Mali has boasted the talents of diva Oumou Sangare and guitarist Ali Farka Toure among its… - Alison Krauss and Union Station, New Favorite (Rounder Records)
Alison Krauss could do covers of Insane Clown Posse songs and make them sound sweet. Fortunately, the traditional bluegrass songstress saves… - Cedar Walton, The Promise Land (High Note)
There is something just so alive about Cedar Walton’s piano work here as well as throughout his long and celebrated career.… - Smithfield Fair, The Winter Kirk (Stevenson Productions)
Kilts, tartans, malt whiskey and deafening bagpipes are certainly universal visages of Scottish culture while understandably, its spiritual tradition isn’t as… - Various Artists, 20 to Life-Prison Blues: Songs from the Angola State Penitentiary (Fuel 2000)
Like country songs, blues songs never get any sadder than they do in prison. And there is no harder time done… - Frankie Ford, Christmas (Louisiana Red Hot)
Frankie Ford continues to prove that he’s more than a one-hit wonder with a one-dimensional singing style. The history of rock… - Theresa Andersson, David Doucet & John Fohl, Peace Stories (Independent)
Among the glut of annual holiday releases, only a handful actually provide enough warmth and integrity to merit repeated listening. Most… - Zydeco Force, You Mean the World to Me (Maison de Soul Records)
Last year Zydeco Force pleasantly stunned z-zealots everywhere by reuniting after a five-year hiatus. With a new recording in hand and… - Andre Williams, Bait and Switch (Norton)
Blasting out of the gates with a roaring version of the Fabulous Peps’ “Detroit Michigan,”—and a cover portrait photographed by our… - BeauSoleil, The Best of the Crawfish Years 1985-1991 (Rounder Records)
Charivari’s Mitch Reed says they’re still the big dogs of Cajun music and his assessment of the Grammy Award winning BeauSoleil… - Schatzy, Macaroni & Bees (Independent)
Egg Yolk Jubilee Brunch with Rocco Fancypants (Spatula Productions) Schatzy Macaroni & Bees (Independent) An album, to me, is a lot… - Egg Yolk Jubilee, Brunch with Rocco Fancypants (Spatula Productions)
Egg Yolk Jubilee Brunch with Rocco Fancypants (Spatula Productions) Schatzy Macaroni & Bees (Independent) An album, to me, is a lot… - Richard Carr, American Reflection (REC'D Music)
On this, his fifth CD, Richard Carr has attempted to convey a feeling of patriotism in his music and those sentiments… - Various Artists, Blue Xmas: Christmas Blues Instrumentals (Evidence)
Despite flaunting an all star blues roster—Son Seals, Otis Rush, Rusty Zinn, Kim Wilson, Joe Louis Walker, etc.—except for a few… - Ben Hunter, Voodoo Reggae (Independent)
Given the close geographical and cultural ties between Jamaica and New Orleans, a local reggae superstar seems like a very good… - Wardell Quezergue, A Creole Mass (Creole Records)
On August 28 of this year, a momentous event took place at St. Louis Cathedral. A live benefit for the cathedral’s… - Amanda Shaw, Little Black Dog (Swampadellic Records)
While there’s no shortage of prodigies playing roots music these days, 11-year-old Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw of Covington is a bit… - Boozoo Chavis, Down Home on Dog Hill (Rounder)
No bigger fan of Boozoo Chavis—“The Lake Charles Atomic Bomb”—exists than myself. Nevertheless, I must report that his latest, and sadly,… - Melissa Sigler, Secrets (Louisiana Red Hot Records)
“You’re not fooling with a half-cocked kid,” warns Melissa Sigler in the lyrics of “Be Happy Blue,” from her second album… - Ramsey & Vaan, In Search of a Cheap Hotel (Jumping Man Records)
It’s expected that songwriters will bare their soul, leaving no secrets behind while performing their craft, but perhaps not in the… - Various Artists, Maxjazz Holiday (Maxjazz)
The MaxJazz label, which is known primarily for its vocal series (though it recently released pianist Peter Martin’s Something Unexpected) gathers… - The Campbell Brothers, Sacred Steel on Tour!/Sacred Steel for the Holidays (Arhoolie Records)
The Campbell Brothers Sacred Steel On Tour! (Arhoolie Records) The Campbell Brothers Sacred Steel For the Holidays (Arhoolie Records) Growing up,… - Paulette Wright-Davis, Psalmstress (Rampart Street Music)
Paulette Wright-Davis is kin to one of New Orleans’ greatest female vocalists, Marva Wright, and the influence definitely shows. Paulette Wright-Davis’… - Andy J. Forest, Sunday Rhumba (Appalosa Records)
Local expatriate blues harpist, novelist and notorious Italian cult film actor, Andy J. Forest returns with his 14th release, Sunday Rhumba,… - Harry Connick, Jr., Songs I Heard/30 (Columbia)
Harry Connick, Jr. Songs I Heard (Columbia) Harry Connick, Jr. 30 (Columbia) Harry Connick, Jr., is an unusual guy—unusually talented and…
